EU Ambassador to Georgia Carl Hartzell declares that State Inspector's Service was one of the conditions for visa liberalization between the EU and Georgia and the EU has invested quite a lot in terms of expertise and capacity building in this institution.
Carl Hartzell said he had already expressed “some serious concerns” regarding the abolishment of State Inspector’s Service several times, previously. He evaluated the process as “too rushed and not inclusive enough.”
“I would not have minded having a discussion on the basis of lessons learned, et cetera, to see and make sure how the service would develop in the right way in the future. But it was a missed opportunity to get everyone on board in order to provide the buy-in necessary for this to happen. Apart from substance where we have questions, I would also say that the European Union has been a long-term stakeholder in the service.
It was actually part of, one of the conditions for visa liberalization between the EU and Georgia at one point in time, and we have also invested quite a lot in terms of expertise and capacity building in this institution and its predecessor – the data protection office. And it is an important institution as it is about providing checks and balances, as part of the democratic landscape and therefore, we hope that the concerns that have been expressed will now be taken into account and reflected upon when the process moves ahead,” Carl Hartzell said.
